How Does Fence Length Affect the Cost of Chain Link Fence?
One of the most common questions any fence company gets is what the cost of chain link fence is. Many people want to know what the price per foot of chain link or other fences is, but it’s very rare to get that kind of number from any company.
Let’s take a closer look at how the length of your fence line affects the cost of chain link fence, and why you can expect to pay a lot more per foot for shorter fence lines.
Fixed Versus Variable Costs
The first reason why the total length of fence you need will affect the cost of chain link fence is that every fence quote is made up of both fixed and variable costs.
Variable costs include things like direct labor to do the install, materials for the fence and concrete for fence post bases. Those things will all change based on the quantity of fence being installed, so they will be a little more constant regardless of the length of the fence. Corners, ends and gates will still increase the cost of chain link fence per foot, but this is not where most of the difference is.
The real difference in cost is in the fixed costs for the job. These are things like the time required to order or pick materials. The cost to transport materials to site. Setting out the fence line, which has to happen regardless of the fence length and so on.
Fixed costs might vary a little based on the size and scope of the fence, but even if your fence only takes half a day to install, they will still be built into the price, and that will increase the cost of chain link fence per foot dramatically.
The Rhythm of Fencing
The next thing that will affect the cost of chain link fence is what I like to call the rhythm of fencing.
When you have long, straight lines of fence, it takes a lot less time per unit to do things like install line posts. Your fence crews can get into a rhythm, and you can even split your crews to do things at the same time.
That speeds up the install process, which cuts both labour and overhead costs, which means the cost of chain link fence per foot is much lower.
When you are working on a small fence line, it doesn’t make sense to have multiple crews or big machinery, so everything is a lot more hands on and takes a lot longer. That, again, increases the cost of chain link fencing on smaller projects.
What Can You Do To Cut Costs On Smaller Fences?
Now that you know why smaller fences tend to cost more than long fence lines, when you calculate the price of fence per foot, you might be wondering how you can cut costs.
If your chain link fence is an ordinary specification and not being installed somewhere like the top of a building or on an oilfield site, which always requires special training and equipment, the best thing you can do is look for a smaller fence company that specializes in residential fence installation.
Their overheads and mobilization costs are usually a lot less, and even if they pay a little more for materials, that can still mean a dramatic reduction in the cost of chain link fences for smaller projects.
You should always hire a reputable fence contractor who meets all regulatory requirements for your area, but hiring a residential specialist for small fence projects can definitely save you some money on the cost of a chain link fence.
